Headlight-operating mechanism for motor cars and the like



March 10, 1931. J. DOMS ET AL 1,796,192

READLIGHT OPERATING MECHANISM FOR MOTOR CARS AND THE LIKE Filed Feb. 18, 1929 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 JulesDoms, a 1i Huber? Wolrzr,

R0001 simonlnventm March 10, 1931. J. DOMS ET AL 1,796,192

HEADLIGHT OPERATING MECHANISM FOR MOTOR CARS AND THE LIKE Filed Feb. 18, 1929 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 JulesDoms,HuberTWolrenRaoul Simon Invebtors March-10, 1931. J DQMS A 7 1,796,192

I HEADLIGHT OPERATING MECHANISM FOR MOTOR CARS AND THE LIKE "Filed Feb. 18, 1929 s Sheets-Sheet 5 n l l] Juies Doms,Huberr Wolfer, Raow 5i mon Inventom Fig.7

Patented Mar. 10, 1931 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE JULES DOMS, HUBERT WOLTER, AND RAOUL SIMON, OF BRUSSELS, BELGIUM HEADLIGHT-OPERATING MECHANISM FOR MOTOR CARS AND THE LIKE Application filed February 18, 1929, Serial No. 340,869, and in Belgium February 24, 1928.

' .This .present.invention relates to headlight operating mechanismsfor motor-cars and the like in which the headlights may be op- .erated individually or simultaneously in hori- .s'z'ontal and vertical planes from the drivers :seatby means'of three handles. I Theobject of the invention is to provide amechanism of this type in which the rotation of the headlights in a horizontal plane is 'eifected'by means of two gear-wheels co-operating with flexible shafts and superimposed on ball bearings within a bipartite casing con- .centrically arranged on the steering hand wheel, each of said gear wheels being pro- 16 vided with a suitable handle, whilst the rotation of. the headlights in vertical planes is effected by means of.a crank arranged on said casing and acting'directly on another flexible shaft, the movements of all the flexi- I ble shafts being transmitted to the headlights :by means of worm gearin'gs.

The lnventlon 1S lllustrated 1n the accompanying drawings wherein Fig. 1 is a vertical section of the headlight operating device proper.

Fig. 2 is a top plan view thereof.

Fig. 3 is a section on line A-A of Fig. 2.

Fig. 4 is a verticalsectionof the headlight supporting device, whilst Fig. 5 shows a'vertical section of the left hand side bearing of the rotary horizontal shaft supporting'the headlights.

. Fig. 6 is a vertical section of the corresponding right hand side bearing.

is a section on line B..B of Fig. 6.

Figs. 8, 9 and .10 show an elevation and top plan view of the arrangement of the mechanism on the frame and steering hand wheel of a motor-car;

The headlight operating device (Figs. 13) is preferably arranged on the steering hand wheel (Fig. 10), though it may also be arranged'at any other lace (for instance on the instrument board in the reach of the driver.

Said device comprises a bipartite annular flat-casing 1, 2, within which an upper gear wheel 3 and a lower gear wheel 4 are jour- -naled on ball bearings 5. Each gear'wheel 3, 4 meshes-with a toothed pinion 6'secured by means of a pin 13 on an axle 9, each axle 9 being connected to a flexible shaft 9 by means of a nut provided with a conical or bevelled extension 14 (Figs. 1, 3), said flexible shaft 9 extending to the corresponding headlight to operate the same in a horizontal plane. Each gear wheel 3, 4 has a laterally or otherwise arranged handle M, M respectively. A crank 7 is attached to the upper projecting end of an axle 8 extending vertically through the casing 1, 2 and connected to another flexible shaft 8, said crank serving to operate the headlights in vertical planes.

The two parts of the casing 1, 2 are connected together by means of bolts, whilst the whole casing is secured to the steering hand wheel by means of screws extending through holes 11 in the part 1 of the casing. The two gear wheels 3, 4 are each locked in any ad- 7 justed position by means of a particular spring blade 12 attached outside the casing by means of screws 16.

The connection between the rigid axles 8,

9 and corresponding flexible shafts 8, 9 comprises a nut screwed onto the axle 8 or 9 and locked by means of a pin 15, said nut having a conical or bevelled extension 14. Secured in said extension is the end of the flexible shaft 8 or 9 by means of a locking nut 14 screwed onto said bevelled extension 14, which is preferably slotted longitudinally. Owing to said slots or by inserting a suitable nipple, flexible shafts of diiferent diameters may be connected to the same extension.

Each headlight is seated with its depending extension within a vertical tube section 17 and securely held therein by means of a collar 18 provided with tightening bolts 19 (Fig. 4). The tube section 17 is journaled by means of a ball bearing 20 within a sleeve shaped casing 21, closed at the top by means of a screwed cover 22 and at the bottom by means of a bottom plate 23 attached by means of bolts. Attached by means of a pin 24 to the lower end of the tube section 17 is a worm gear 25 meshing with a worm 26 on a horizontal shaft 27 arranged in a bearing 28 movably arranged on the bottom plate 23 and adjustable by means of an adjusting screw 29 and nut 30, whereby the operating parts may be easily adjusted according to the Wear thereof. The central part of the Wormgear 25 is supported on a ball 31 journaled 5 in a recess in the adjusting screw 32. Ar ranged in the side Walls of the casing 21 are longitudinal slots 34 in which thes'haft'Q'Z is slidably arranged. The "shaft 27 is connected to the flexible shaft 9 extending from 10 the axle 9 (Figs, 1-3) bymeansof a connec tion similar to thecon'neaibn 14 previously described. t v

On one side the casing 21 has a collar 35 in whic'h'one end ofa horizontal-tube36 is secured by means of a bolt 37, the opposite end offs aid tube being secured in a similar "coll'a'nof the casing supporting the other headlight. Theftube '36 is journaled onballs l-l in'twobea-rin gs 38 (Fig. 5) and 39 (Fig.

"2 f7 arranged'atthe front-ofthe car on supporting posts 49, 'secured tothe frame 50 of "car. fEach bearing is closed on one side urned wwards'thecenae ofthe car by means casing 4c0 att ached by means of bolts. The'ball's 41 are held inplace by means of a cup 42 adjustable from the outside and locked 'bymeans of anut Attached by means of asc r'ew 45 to the tube 36 within the casing 40 of oneof the bearings, for instance the left to lhand'bearingis' a Worm-gear 4'45 co-operating .ivith'aevorm' lh arranged on shaft 47 actuated bythe flexibleshaft'8,"said gearing being operated -by 'ine'ansfof the crank 7 (Fig. 1)

, 'Extendingareund the tube36 Within the"c"asof the 'se chn d bearirig is aflexi'ble'band *or'spriiig 4:8, b oth ends offwhich are attached 'by-ine ans'of bolts 48 to the inner w'alls of ,the,c asingfl0 Thisdevice serves to secureiy hbldth'e-rotary tube '36 in 'anyadjusted polio -iti'on.

V U The headlights be similarly arr'aiig ed on the mud guards of the front-Wheels.

The two handles' M,:M' b ing "arranged "a' bove each otheras in FigureQ for th'e norifmal position of the headlights, said'ha'ndles M 'Will practically constitute 'a single handle only, Which 'upon its movement in either directionvvill impart equal movements toboth'headlights. 'By actuating eaclrindividujal' h'andle 'Mfor M the tWo headlights be rotated individually in different and feven' opposite directions.

I Moreover the 'transmission'of movements is effected in sucha Way "that each movement ofa handle will produce an exactlyequal movement of the corresponding headlight, whereby both movements Will be perfectly uniform. F orinstanceif-ahandle is moved throu h an-an le of90 the corres aondin g a: 7 l a;

headlight will also be rotated through an angle of'9'0 The mechanism described enables the headlights'to be adjusted simultaneously in hori- '65 zontal and vertical planes.

tendingfromsaid crank to the-headlights to move the same in vertical planes, and means for transmittlng the movements of saidi'fl'exiible shafts to the'headlights,substantially as "set forth.

2. In aheadlight'operating mechanismfor motor-cars and'the'like, the combihation With the headlights and-the steering-hand Wheel, of a bipartite casing arranged concentrically on said steering Wheel, gear Wheels arranged above each other in said-casing on ball bearings, asuitable' operating handle on e'ach'igear Wheel, toothed pinions on rigid axles meshing With said gear Wheels, flexible shaftsjconnected to said toothed pinions and extending to'the headlights to move the same in horizontal planes, a suitable spring engaging the teeth of the gear Wheels to lock the same, in

adjusted positions,'acrank arranged on the casing, a flexible shaft extending from said crankto the headlightstomovethe s'ai'nein vertical :planes and means for transmitting the movements of said flexible shafts-to the headlights, substantially as setforth.

3. In a headlight operating mechanism for motor-cars and the like, the-combinati0nwith the headlights and'thesteering-hand wheel,

of a bip'artite casing arranged concentrically on said steering Wheel, gear wheels arranged above each otherln sa1d-cas1ng on ballbearings, a suitable operating handle on each gear Wheel, toothed pinions on rigid axles meshing Withsaid gear Wheels, flexible shafts connected to said toothed pihions and extending to the'h'eadlightsto move-thesa-me in'horizontal planes, asuitablespring engagingthe teeth of the gear Wheels-to-lock the same in adjustedpositionaa crankarr'anged on the casing, a flexibleshaft extending from said crank to the headlightsto movethesa-me; in vertical planes, a nut screwed onto the end ofeach pinion carrying axle, a 'holloWbevelled extension on" said nut for the reception of the end of thefle'xible shaft tobe connected thereto, and alocking nutscreWed onto said bevelled extension, substantially as set'forth. 4:. In a headlight operating mechanism-the combination with the steering handwheel and "headlights, of sleeve shapedkcasings for the reception of'the dependingextensio'ns of the headlights, means for journali'ng' said extensions 'in said "casings, a Worm gear. attached to the lower end of each extension, a worm meshing with said worm gear, a horizontal shaft carrying said worm, slidable bearings for said shaft, an adjusting screw for adjusting said bearings according to the wear of the gearing, and means arranged on the steering hand wheel for operating the headlights, su stantially as set forth.

In testimony whereof, we aflix our signatures.

J ULES DOMS. HUBERT WOLTER. RAOUL SIMON. 

